1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cable bus enclosures for routing power cables, and more particularly, to a splice plate for adjustable angled connections between adjacent sections of cable bus enclosures to facilitate adaptability of cable bus enclosures during installation.
2) Description of Related Art
A cable bus is a system for distributing power from one electrical apparatus to another using insulated power cables inside of a protective metal housing. The cable bus enclosure system is comprised of a series of interconnected sections designed to support the insulated power cables to prevent damage that can lead to short circuits or other failures of the insulated power cables.
The insulated power cables carried by the cable bus enclosures are of a type that deliver large amounts of electrical power for use within power generation and industrial plants for service entrances, main feeders, distribution applications, and retrofits for existing power systems. Typical applications include connections between transformers and switchgear, tie connections between two pieces of switchgear, between motor control centers and large motors, or between generators and generator breakers or generator step-up transformers. Each cable bus system is custom designed and manufactured to meet specific on-site requirements. Nevertheless, adjustments and flexibility during the installation of the system are needed to accommodate unexpected changes in the layout and routing of the cable bus system.
Splice plates are used to join adjacent sections of cable bus enclosures and are important to the overall structural integrity, reliability, flexibility, and safety of the entire cable bus system. The prior art teaches using two plates on each side of an enclosure, four plates in total, in which the two plates on each side are joined at a single pivot point by a single bolt. Thus, a total of two bolts form the pivot point between adjacent cable bus enclosures. This arrangement allow for over-extension of the connecting angles between sections as there is nothing to limit the connection angle between the splice plates and the cable bus enclosures during installation, which can lead to damaged power cables. Further, the splice plates known in the prior art creates too wide of a gap between adjacent cable bus enclosures, making it much harder to support the cables properly and creates further stress on the two pivot bolt securing the splice plates and sections together. The splice plates known in the prior art are harder to secure at a desired angle and can loosen over time and fail to hold the enclosures in the desired angled orientation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a single splice plate on each side of a cable bus enclosure allowing for selectively adjustable angled connections along a vertical orientation that is more compact, rigid, and with limited adjustment angle to prevent over-extension of power cables during installation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a single splice plate on each side of a cable bus enclosure allowing for selectively adjustable angled connections along both a vertical and horizontal orientation that is more compact, rigid, and with limited adjustment angle to prevent over-extension of power cables during installation.